Information devices attached with a game controller and a remote controller (hereafter referred to generically as “controller”) that are a type of pointing devices are known, such as stationary game machines and home video recorders. With these information devices, it is a general practice to input characters by moving a pointer on an on-screen keyboard displayed on a display device such as a television by a controller. In such an input method, a character string input operation is executed by moving the pointer to key positions displayed on the screen. PTL 1 below discloses a technology in which characters are inputted by use of an on-screen keyboard.
On the other hand, it is a general practice to execute a character input operation by use of a touch panel on a mobile information terminal, such as a smartphone and a tablet terminal.
In addition, there is a remote operation technology in which image data is transmitted in real time from a host apparatus that executes an application program such as a stationary game machine that executes game software to a terminal apparatus for operation and data inputted through the terminal apparatus is transmitted to the host apparatus, thereby making available resources of the host apparatus without user attendance at the host apparatus.